Review: Tout Terrain The Plug III

May 21st, 2014

Modern bike tourers have phones and cameras and GPSs and laptops and tablets… and a whole manner of associated devices. This isn’t a debate about what we should be carrying, as we don’t need electronic goods to travel by bike, but hey, life can often be made easier with their assistance.

With sustainability and gadgets in mind, using an energy efficient dynamo hub to charge your devices makes sense. The extra resistance incurred on a loaded bike is far from noticeable and it gives us the freedom to camp wherever we want.

This is the third dynamo power supply that I’ve used. I travelled over 27,000km with a Pedal Power + SIC and before that the Pedal Power + V4i. The PP+ products worked out great, although they were never that integrated solution that I’ve always dreamed of…

Enter The Plug III.

What is it?

The Plug III is a USB port at the headset cap which draws power from a dynamo hub or sidewall dynamo. Sneaky electronic parts hide away in your steerer tube providing your bike with a very clean look, with a minimal weight penalty (perhaps 150g). The Plug cleverly converts AC into DC power from your 6V dynamo for charging USB goodies.

The Plug III produces a constant USB charge from the relatively low speed of 12 km/h (7 mph) which is achievable by even the most laden tourers under your average conditions. The inbuilt electronics are compatible with the most recent smartphones and nearly all USB rechargable devices – including the Apple iPhone.

The Plug has been produced by Tout Terrain/Cinq5/Supernova over the last five years now, and to be honest, it’s pretty close to perfect. Out of all dynamo power supplies on the market, The Plug 3 is BY FAR the neatest, most theft-proof design.

What’s new with The Plug III?

The Plug III differs from its predecessor, The Plug II, by achieving USB’s 5V/500mA current at lower speeds. The Plug III hits 5V at speeds 2km/h lower than the previous model and 7-10km/h slower than models before that. This product is like a fine wine; only getting better with time.

The power amplifier (PAT II) comes as standard with The Plug III. For cycle tourers with heavy loads (like me!), having the PAT II means I can charge devices at low speeds.

Using The Plug III

Installation

Installing The Plug 3 is a rather easy task, although for best results it could be worth hiring a professional. You will firstly need to remove your current star nut, replacing it with the special one supplied. The PAT II will already be installed to The Plug from the factory, so once the cable is dropped down the steerer tube, it is simply a case of adding the spades to the end of the cable. I didn’t need to cut down the cables at all. Once the spades are connected to the hub, give the wheel a spin to see if the green light goes on. Zip-tie the cable to your fork to finish the job.

You can face the USB port in whatever direction you like, but for bike touring I feel that the USB plug is best faced towards the front of the bike, as that is where the gadgets are mounted and where the handlebar bag sits. If your electronic goodies are located in a tri-bag or framebag, you might want to mount the USB port towards them instead.

Green Light

There is a green LED light at the top of The Plug which switches on when there is enough power to charge USB devices. If the LED flashes, the device you have plugged in is consuming too much power, and hence, the required 5v for charging is not running constant. In this situation, The Plug switches itself off and tries again.

Charging Speeds

In order to hit the current required to power my USB devices (5V/500mA) I need to be travelling between 11-12km/h on my Schmidt SON28 dynamo 26″ wheel. For some devices, I need to travel a few km/h faster to make up for their higher power consumption. If I dip down to say, 10-11km/h, I have about 30 seconds before the charge dries up.

The Plug does NOT come with a cache battery. This means that you can ONLY charge electronics when you are travelling consistently over 12km/h. Some users have reported that their devices are not happy with the power on/off, so when travelling at less consistent speeds, I recommend charging directly into an external battery, and from there, charging your devices at a time convenient.

Using The Plug without the PAT

The power amplifier cable (PAT) is able to be completely disconnected from The Plug III. Its removal changes the charging range, making the charge kick in at about 17km/h and lifting the maximum charging speed to over 50km/h. As I rarely average over 40km/h, I have no intention to remove my power amplifier, but can see the merit in perhaps doing so on a road bike.

High Speeds

At speeds over 40km/h, The Plug will switch itself off to avoid damage to your plugged-in device. This speed-relevant threshold will vary depending on your device and it’s current charging state. The protection mechanism is heat sensitive so it can take a moment before The Plug restarts. I actually haven’t noticed The Plug ever switching off at high speeds, but then again, I rarely look at my phone or GPS when descending.

Waterproofness

In appearance, it seems that The Plug is not waterproof, however the electronics inside are protected with a waterproof sealing liquid. This keeps moisture and corrosive water out of the electronics as well as protecting the circuitry against unwanted vibrations. The Plug III comes with a neat silicon plug to protect the USB interface when nothing is plugged in. Tout Terrain warn users against cleaning their bike with a high pressure hose for obvious reasons.

After spending a decent amount of time in monsoonal rain, my USB interface is a bit rusty, however that doesn’t seem to affect the function of the product.

What do I charge with The Plug?

I have a whole bunch of USB rechargable gadgets, including an Apple iPhone 5S Smartphone, a Garmin Edge 800 GPS, a Pedal Power 6700mAh External Battery, a Sony TX10 Digital Camera and an Airstash Pocket Server.

You can of course charge any USB powered device including MP3 players, GoPro cameras, Kindles, headtorches, rechargable LED bike lights and AA/AAA/CR123 batteries.

What can’t I charge with The Plug?

Devices The Plug III can’t charge well include those that require 1 amp or more of current, such as an iPad or some of the larger external batteries. This is due to the limited output of bicycle dynamos rather than The Plug itself. You can however charge into an external battery and then charge your power hungry devices from there.

Using your dynamo lights and The Plug at the same time

It is possible to run more than just a USB port from your dynamo hub. To operate lights and the USB simultaneously, you can use piggyback spades on your cable, or you can even splice your light and power supply cables together into one. Although I haven’t tried it, from most reports you will need to be averaging over 25km/h to make full use of both your lights and USB.

Taking your handlebars and stem off your bike

If you are travelling by plane, you might be concerned that The Plug will make a difficult job of taking your stem off. But concern no longer, as underneath the USB port is a cable which can be disconnected easily, allowing you to take your handlebars off without any trouble at all.

Known Issues with Previous Models

The high/low speed cutout failing

Users of previous models have reported that their Plugs (with PAT attached) have stopped working at speeds less than 27km/h, or turned on/off erratically at all kinds of unusual speeds, damaging devices that are plugged in. Tout Terrain have insisted that these users have had faulty models, but the problem seemed to be quite widespread amongst users.

It is my experience, which is also echoed by Tout Terrain, that these issues are completely fixed on The Plug III.

The Why

– This is easily the neatest solution on the market. It is simple, user friendly and looks great with the wires hidden away.
– It’s pretty well theft proof. One thing I hated about other power supply products I’ve used was that I would have to take them on/off the bike whenever I locked up in the street. I would buy The Plug for this reason alone.
– It charges at really low speeds. 11-12km/h as an average speed is not hard to achieve for most tourers.
– The Plug has been refined over a five year period. Every release has been better and better and reliability issues have been addressed. I feel that The Plug is now near perfect.

The Why Not

– It’s $215 USD. That’s over 2x more than some other power supply products, which effectively do the same job. To me, this is the products biggest downside.– You can’t mount anything to your stem. Ok, so you technically can if you’re prepared to have the USB plug facing towards the rear of the bike, but by doing that, charging cables have to make a 180 degree turn back to the bars – and that’s just not neat.– Charging in the rain is dubious, as the USB interface is exposed to the elements. I avoid it in most cases. The electronics for The Plug are waterproofed, so that isn’t the concern, it’s more the rust damage to the USB interface and charging cables. I’ve seen some users make a little raincover for their Plug with the end of a soft drink bottle.
– There’s no cache battery with this product, meaning that when you drop below 12km/h for too long, you will loose charge to your device. I don’t actually see this as a big issue: if I can’t hold a consistent speed, I charge into an external battery or simply just unplug altogether. Tout Terrain have just released an external battery for this purpose.

Summary

The Plug III has come a long way since it was first conceived all those years ago. With the power amplifier as standard, power output is available at speeds which most cycle tourers can easily average.

Aesthetically, The Plug 3 kicks all the goals: it is neat, well-built and obviously quite user friendly… just plug your USB cable in.

I’ve now been using The Plug III for over 10000km of loaded touring, on smooth and rough roads, through monsoonal rain and in temperatures above 50 degrees celcius. I’m feeling pretty confident The Plug will last for many adventures to come too.

Should you buy one?
Well, if you want to charge stuff everyday, if you want to lock your bike up on the street without removing anything, if you want to have as many cables hidden away as possible, if you want your bike to look neat as possible – The Plug III has you covered.

Alee LOVES bikes and travel. So much so he once sold everything he owned to ride through 30 countries to learn a bit about himself and the world. Check out his book Bicycle Touring in One Hour to do the same: http://cyclingabout.com/bicycle-touring-book/

Hi Wakatel. I’m glad you’re happy with your Revolution. They certainly offer great value and the performance is awesome. It is worth noting that The Plug 3 also starts charging at walking speed, however requires 12km/h to hit full USB power (14.4km/h on the Sinewave). Have you seen the soon to be released, Sinewave Reactor? I think you’ll like it. 🙂

When running front and rear lights and the plug, how do I achieve max power to the lights when I need them? Will the plug stop pulling power when nothing is plugged into it? I assume I could just turn off my headlight to create more power for the Plug. Or, should I use a switch? lights/Plug

If you splice your light and charger cables together, all you have to do is make sure nothing is connected out of The Plug, and you will achieve maximum power at the lights. With no devices pulling power, all The Plug takes is enough power to keep the green LED on. A switch therefore isn’t necessary.

rick davies

Re The Plug: This is a disappointment>”There is a green LED light at the top of The Plug which switches on when there is enough power to charge USB devices. If the LED flashes, the device you have plugged in is consuming too much power, and hence, the required 5v for charging is not running constant. In this situation, The Plug switches itself off and tries again” So I have to turn my Nexus 7 off in order to regain charge used by Strava (navigational software) as I ride along. This sort of defeats the purpose of having it. I was hoping for topping up of charge as I went along. Not so it seems 🙁

Hi Rick. It’s not the Nexus 7 that switches off, it’s the Plug III that restarts – and only at high speeds. I haven’t managed to ride fast enough for this to ever occur. Your Nexus 7 will use it’s own battery power for the times when The Plug III is restarting, not affecting your Strava app. 😉

rick davies

I understand it is the Plug that switches off. I tried it out yesterday on a 45 k ride. While switched on and conencted to the plug the Nexus steadily lost power over a couple of hours. It only recharged when I switched the Nexus off and left it connected to the Plug. This is disappointing, I had expected the plug would help sustain the nexus batetry charge while the Nexus was being used

Got you. Like the Apple iPad, it seems the Nexus 7 normally requires a 10w charge. With The Plug III you would need to go exceptionally fast to generate that much power – The Plug is much more at home with devices with batteries half the size. The Nexus’s 4000mAh battery actually requires about 3x as much power as an iPhone, and 5x the Garmin Edge GPS. I’m afraid you will have to downsize if you want to be able to charge whilst using the device.

rick davies

Umm, not such good news, but now understood. Given your figures above, any idea how long I would need to cycle at 20kph to get the Nexus recharged (when it is switched of)? I am planning a long one day trip where i would be relying on the Nexus

I installed one this month, linked to a SP SD-8 hub which is supposed to generate 6V on a 26″ wheel. I have a Surly Ogre with 29″ wheels so I don’t know how that effects the output values. I have B&M lights attached in parallel. At very low speeds, going uphill with a loaded bike I was seeing a solid green LED on the PLUG, so that should signify I’m able to put 5V output from the USB.

Great…. until I connect an iPhone 4, then as posted by Rick earlier, I can’t charge the phone while it is switched on and running Strava for instance. The Plug III LED just flicks on and off all the time regardless of a steady riding speed at any range. Switching the phone off surprisingly didn’t improve anything; the charge icon on the phone kept going on/off. I gather the iPhone won’t charge well or at all like this.

I do have an portable battery charger (BikeCharge Power Pack) that I connected but as this was flat dead in the first place, I was not out riding long enough to judge whether it was charging and supplying charge to the iPhone.

I have reservations now about this product. Maybe it will work better with a newer iPhone. For example the iPhone 4 would not charge properly with a JOOS solar panel that I tried using earlier this year.

Jacob_hunt

Hi, I’ve already got supernova hub and lights. I’m looking at buying the plug iii, but I’d like to charge my iPad whilst on route. If I combine ‘the plug iii’ with the ‘smart power pack ii’ would charging devise which require more current be possible?

I am in the process of deciding between utilising my Shimano T785 (XT) dynamo hub as a power source or buying a Solar Power Charger to charge an IPhone or IPad Mini whilst I am touring.
It seems such a waste not to utilise the dynamo hub, but I am curious as to whether there is there any noticable resistance when the power connection is charging.
Do you notice much difference.

The extra resistance is very minimal! If someone played around with my dynamo setup, I don’t think I could tell if they switched it off or not without stopping to check. 😉

That said, given that you want to charge an iPad Mini, you’re going to need a fair bit of power. A bigger solar system is what I generally recommend for devices with big batteries (ie. over 5000mAh), but I guess it will depend how much you want to use the device. If it’s just an hour or two of use everyday you’ll be fine.

Simon Kelly

I posted 4 months ago where I had an initial setup with an SP SD-8 hub on a 29er wheel. That failed to power anything as the output was way to low; on a 26″ it produces 6V 2.4W, but on a 29″ it was less than 5V as that is the min required for the Plug III…. effectively choosing the correct hub is very important if your using 29er. Nobody tells you that when your shelling out $$$. To solve my dilemma I bought the Schimdt SoN28 which will provide the Plug III a 5V supply at around 7mph….. this thing was much heavier than the SP SD-8 and much more expensive, but at least it worked. I had no problems on blacktop powering iPhone6, a portable battery, a Delorme, my camera…. GREAT. Last month, I was in Chile, while spending several days running on ripio from Chilli Chico to El Chaiten, I was unable to maintain a steady 7mph for long enough to keep charging; I was light loaded with about 24lbs of kit. This was a disappointment, but a learning experience, not all tours are suited for dynamo hubs. Oh, my lights always worked regardlessly.

I’m surprised that you found the SD-8 was failing to provide enough power for your iPhone on your Ogre. I haven’t heard of any issues from my friends (with 29er MTBs) that have used that exact hub for charging.

I’m glad it’s all sorted with the SON28, and I hope your tour in Chile was amazing. I can’t wait to get to that country!

Simon Kelly

Alee, I was going back and forth with Tout Terrain, Peter White Cycles and my local builder who installed the hubs. Myself and Both TT and PWC came to the conclusion that the SD-8 spec required a speed of around 15 to 17mph constant to keep the Plug III output live. As the only variable here are the hubs output AC voltage and Watts, the Plug III (which at first I thought was faulty) was tested by PWC and proved to be working normally and did so on 26″ wheel in his store. Not so on my 29 rims. The Plug kept resetting unless I was legging it down hill. TT said that means the output from the hub was not high enough. Sure enough, changed the hub, same wheel and the Plug worked fine at 7mph. I’m no Physicist, just a layman here!

BTW Chile was amazing but cut short as I went over the handle bars and fractured my elbow and shoulder; my whole trip seemed to be a case of over coming various hurdles before even starting: what with building up the bike, the electronics, a blood clot in my calf and finally a trip stopping injury. However, planning other trips as I type.

Bruce Smith

Hi – this is a fantastic site – I’m looking forward to the book. Just two questions about the Plug. How much clearance do you need at the bottom of the steering tube for the wiring? (My mudguard goes right up next to the bottom of the tube). And is it still possible to have the Quadlock on the stem at the same time as having the Plug installed, or do you need to move it to the handlebar (as suggested by one of the photos)?

Hi Bruce. The wiring can cut a pretty sharp corner as it isn’t too thick, so it should work out for you. Regarding the Quadlock, it will mostly depend on your stem length and angle. I liked having the USB plug facing towards my handlebar bag as that is where I charged most devices, but unfortunately that didn’t allow for a Quadlock on the stem. If I faced the USB plug away from the bag the Quadlock would’ve fitted ok. Alee

Jack Flanders

My 26″ touring bike has a 1 1/4″ threadless steerer.
My 700c touring bike has a quill stem.
What do you have to work with those?

Great information, thank you!
I currently have a Vivente World Randonneur with a SP Dynamo Hub (SD-8), currently powering lights. I would like to set up the Plug III and was wondering if it’s possible on this hub/bike?
Thankyou,
Sharee

Hi Sharee. It’s certainly possible to use The Plug with your hub and lights. You can either splice the charger and light cables together (it’s best not to use your lights/The Plug at the same time though), or run two sets of cables down your fork (you will have to swap the spades when you want to use the charger or lights). Alee

cosmoswide

No luck with my Moto G android phone, even if I switch it off the damm light keeps blinking and no charge. I’m able to charge usb lights / headlight, it seems though, so I believe the plug III is not faulty. I don’t know what to think, certainly disapointed because investing in a SON 28 + The plug III altogether was certainly very expensive, and not being able to charge my smartphone is certainly a serious drawback..

Thank you Alee, I actually got in touch with the cinq5 support, and although they didn’t had the chance to test the Moto G they told me that “in the past other Motorola phones have shown an unusually high input current, which means a lot more speed is needed to have it charged with the Plug.”
So they also recommended to use some sort of buffer battery..
So well I think it’s what I will do, so it’s cheaper than switching smartphone :-/

Thanks for your blog, it is an outstanding source of good tips and adventures
Cheers!

Tony Graham

Alee,

I use the Plug III also, usually to charge my Samsung Smartphone and don’t have too many problems with this. I have problems when I charge my Garmin Edge Touring GPS. Every time I come to a stop, even for a few seconds at traffic lights or a stop sign the Garmin goes into close down mode: “Powering Off” and I have around 10 seconds to hit the “tick” to agree or the “X” to stop it from closing down. If I’m not quick enough the Garmin shuts down and I lose the ride that I am recording. Hence I avoid charging with The Plug if I can and use a mains plug before I ride, but in the rare occasion I forget to, I have to keep remembering to watch the Garmin every time I stop. Have you experienced this?

I’m not sure that you can do anything about the rubber plug unfortunately. Tape perhaps?
Alee

Patches Crunt

Hi,
I have been wondering this question for a long time, desperately looking for an answer.
What I want to do is set up a custom made frame with: a SON SL dynamo hub with internal wiring in the frame, routed to a head lamp, and a tail light, and a threadless stem USB charger (either the Plug III or Sinewave or any model that works for what I’m trying to do it doesn’t matter to me). The lights and charger will not be used at the same time only to be routed to the same hub internally through the frame & fork. I will charge my little dive light with the USB charger during day, and use the dynamo powered lighting during night time. How is the routing possible? Does there need to be a type of switch to switch between which devices are drawing power from the dynamo?
Thanks very much for your expertise. If you need clarification I can answer any questions.

The SON SL doesn’t complicate things too much as it’s just an internal wire which pops out at the fork crown. You could easily splice in a USB charger right there. You won’t actually need a cable switch; just make sure you switch your lights off whenever you want to do any charging. When using the lights, the USB charger will draw very little power without anything plugged into it.

I would route the dynamo wiring into the downtube, through the BB shell, into the chainstay and up through the bottom of your rear rack. The Tubus racks are hollow which will allow you to route the cable right to the rear mount.

Thanks for the input, Christopher! My Plug III is still going strong. 🙂

Kai Edel

Hey Alee! I just got the Plug III installed, powered by a SON28 and hooked up to a Edelux II and a Supernova Taillight! I hope it will charge my new mobile and a akku-pack (Which I haven’t bought yet…about to buy the Xperia Z3 Compact! No idea which akku-pack would be good.) Do you have any thoughts on that?

Because i will be flying, i need to take my bike apart, at least handlebars and stem…but i was hoping also to take the fork outt. You wrote it is easy to diconnect the cables from the plug. do i just have to plug out the white plastic piece which connects the cable with the plug? tried it but it it is quiet stiff connected and i dont wanna break anything!

I’m not familiar with the Akku Pack products, so not sure what the best option is there. The Plug connection will feel a bit stiff at first, but just give it a hard yank and you will free it from your bike.

Robert Halny

Hello, I hope somebody here can help me. I just got my Koga with Pinion and Power Hub plus this Plug iii. The Dynamo powers both front and rear lights and the Plug. When I first took it for a ride, I’m quite sure I saw the green LED come on. However today, after an hours long ride the green light didn’t even blink. The front and rear lights were working just fine. It was most frustrating, as I wanted to charge my iPhone 6s while using Strava and GPS. The bike came from the Netherlands and I have no idea where I can service this thing. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Thanks, Rob.

RandomRouleur

My two cents: been using a Plug III on a long tour from Peru to Patagonia and have found that it works OK but doesn’t start charging my iPhone 6SE until I hit 13kmh, which is often a bit fast for dirt-road touring. Also, it doesn’t charge my (1A input) Anker battery pack – partly my fault, I knew before the trip and should have got something else but still…
I’m going to get an Igaro D1 next (possibly before the end of trip) to test that out – efficiency (charging at low speed) and power (up to 3A output) really are key! Plus, I have a top-tube bag so the mounting is really not an issue.

I haven’t tried either phones with my charger, but I can’t see why it’d be a problem to charge the iPhone 6 or iPhone 5SE with The Plug III. 🙂

systemBuilder

wow what a ripoff you can get an awesome solar panel with 5v and 12v @ 18w output for about $100, no need to waste $215 on this 3w gizmo. The solar panel charges your battery at all speeds during the daytime.

Bob Sinko

I just installed Plug III and unfortunately it doesn’t provide enough current to charge my smartphone (Motorola DROID TURBO) or my existing IOGear cache battery . It can charge an older smartphone and 10-year old flip phone, so the installation appears OK.

Any recommendations on a cache battery that The Plug III can reliably charge, which can in-turn charge a current generation smartphone?

I’m using a Shimano DEORE LX DH-T670-3N 6v/3W dynamo.

I see the max current on the Sinewave Reactor is 1A. Didn’t see that distinction previously. Wondering if that may have been a better option for me.

jon laurence

Hi there – you mention a ‘a Pedal Power 6700mAh External Battery’ ? I’ve been googling and can’t find this. Does the Plug 111 really charge it up ? thanks in advance. Jon

jon laurence

also, will it act as a cache battery – charge through, so i could put it between the plug and my phone / gps and the battery would charge whilst cycling and at the same time keep the phone topped up and still charge the phone when going up very steep hills ?

What you need is a battery with ‘pass-through’. I recommend the Goal Zero Flip 20 5200mAh (http://amzn.to/2gUCuqr) or Goal Zero Flip 30 7800mAh (http://amzn.to/2gUu2DL). The batteries can buffer your phone at slow speeds, but will fill up when your phone isn’t plugged in. Charging depends on a few things, but most decent charging systems will charge at 500mA per hour at 15-20km/h. That means you’d need to ride for more than 10 hours to fill up the 5200mAh battery (a little more actually because of the energy losses in the charging circuitry).

jon laurence

Hey – thanks for getting back to me promptly ! The Goal Zero 30 looks ideal – especially since i also have a Goal Zero 10 panel too (currently not working for some reason).